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Community Feature

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        Here, users can organize by joining or creating a community centered around taking action on an issue they're passionate about. 

       

        For example, if a user wants to address the adverse effects of climate change, they'll be able to search for a community already dedicated towards this cause. If they don't see anything that interests them in joining, they can create their own community. Here, users will be able to grow their community by carrying out discourse with others with the intention of taking real-world action. This may include -- but not limited to -- organizing fundraising events, protests, making arrangements to contact elected officials on both a local and federal level and other means of mobilizing. 

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        We want conversation to start digitally and for that to eventually transition to meaningful action that creates the sort of change you hope to see in the world. Talking about the issues is not enough. It's time to do something about it. 

 

 

Representation Feature

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        Do you know who your elected officials are? 

 

        With the representation feature, users only need to input their zip code and street address to see who their elected officials are, both on a state and federal level. Besides knowing who your representation is, users will also have access to the contact information of these elected officials. From here, a user can get in contact with an aide or staffer from an official's office to discuss any issue they deem pressing.

 

        It is the job of representatives to be as accessible as possible to their constituents. At balance, part of our mission is to bridge these gaps and make discourse between politicians and citizens more convenient. An active democracy that promotes representatives actively engaging with their constituents is a working democracy. 

 

 

Profile Feature 

       

        This is our simplest feature. Here, users are asked if they are registered to vote. If not, users are redirected to the correct address that will allow for them to register. 

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        At balance, our mission is to use digital technology to enhance and encourage grassroots organizing and mobilizing. However, if a user isn't making sure their voice is being heard at the ballot box, our application is failing.

 

 

Future Applications in Development 
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        We are working to develop technology that generates a report on the stances of any member of Congress on a variety of important political issues. This will allow users to better decide who it is they support/oppose from a perspective of understanding the issues a politician supports/opposes, rather than deciding based on a politician's party affiliation. Additionally, users will be given the option to take a survey on their stances. Based on a user's response to this survey and the issues they rank as the ones they most care about, the application will generate a report regarding which politicians the user should look into potentially supporting. This recommendation will be made without considering political affiliation. 
 

 

Organizing Opportunities

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        balance will help users keep track of the elections near them and the politicians looking to expand their volunteer base. The application will also feature staffers working for candidates and elected officials, making it easier to connect and get involved. ​

 

 

News Feature 
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        Currently in the process of developing a news feed that will curate political content by sorting out and identifying publishers from the perspective of either representing local or national politics. This will help users further organize their political ecosystem in a manner that emphasizes staying informed on the activities of both state and federal elected officials.

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        Users will also have the ability to tailor their news feed to their political preferences. If a user would like to see news that is more conservative, for example, the feed will then reflect the opinions and content produced by more conservative commentators, politicians and media outlets.

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Enhancing Community Feature 

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        balance will help users keep track of the elections happening near them and the politicians looking to expand their volunteer base. The application will feature staffers working for candidates and elected officials, making it easier to connect and get involved. 

 

 

Expansion 

        balance hopes to provide context for the world of politics first in America. The opportunities after that are endless. We hope to expand balance to every democracy in the world. 

 

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Looking Ahead​

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        Any one particular feature of balance isn't unique. But the combination of these features is what will eventually make balance the go-to place for keeping up with the world of politics. Currently, we're focusing our efforts on improving the application's infrastructure to support turning digital communication into real-world, grassroots action. From there, we want to begin introducing features that will make balance a place for users to not only organize, but also a place of information and learning. This is a process. Nothing happens overnight. Yes, it's a lofty goal, but we're chipping away at it everyday. 
 

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